Zuckerberg considered wiping friends list to revive Facebook, buying Snapchat

Image Source: US Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg considered buying Snapchat and wiping Facebook users' friends lists to revive the platform's appeal, he revealed during testimony in an ongoing federal antitrust trial. 

The comments came as Zuckerberg defended his company against the Federal Trade Commission's claim that Meta illegally built a social media monopoly by stifling competition, The Verge reported.

The revelations came during nearly nine hours of testimony over two days, with Zuckerberg expected to return to the stand on Wednesday. Former COO Sheryl Sandberg is also scheduled to testify. 

The trial, taking place in a Washington, DC, courtroom, could ultimately force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp — two major acquisitions the FTC says were made to quash emerging threats.

In his testimony, Zuckerberg acknowledged exploring dramatic strategies, including making Instagram a separate company and even wiping users' Facebook friend lists to rekindle the feeling of early platform discovery. He also confirmed Meta made a $6 billion offer to acquire Snapchat in 2013, a bid ultimately rejected by CEO Evan Spiegel. 

Zuckerberg speculated from the stand that Meta could have grown Snapchat faster under its umbrella.

The FTC's central argument is that Meta, by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp during their early growth phases, eliminated potential rivals and secured dominance in what it calls the "personal social networking services" market — a space defined by friend and family connections and which includes apps like Snapchat and MeWe.

Meta has challenged that definition, arguing the market is far broader and includes platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and even Apple's iMessage. 

Internal documents presented by the FTC showed Zuckerberg expressing concern over Instagram's early growth and WhatsApp's potential to disrupt the social media space.